Day 162 Bible Reading: 1 Kings 8, Acts 7:54-60, Psalm 129 and Proverb 17:1 
A person's last words sometimes tell us a lot about him/her. In Stephen's case, he is being pummelled by large rocks thrown at him with the velocity of baseballs. His bones are breaking, blood is everywhere, bruises are rapidly forming on his skin. Yet out of the angry, noisy mess comes a request for forgiveness. Incredible! Only God can give us an agape love and power to forgive. Jesus was pleased with Stephen, He stood to welcome him to the Kingdom of heaven.
"And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep." – Acts 7:60 (English Standard Version)
"Father God, thank you for forgiven my sins, and gave me an agape love and power of the Holy Spirit, help to practice to offer my spiritual fruits to my enemies that Stephen showed so vividly. Forgive me when revenge comes so quickly, and words of hatred spring out without a thought. In Jesus' name, Amen."
